Placing a child for adoption

A parent or parents seeking to place their child for adoption must decide whether to pursue an agency adoption or an independent adoption. An agency adoption may be carried out through the Department of Human Services or an adoption agency licensed by the state. Working with the Department of Human services or the agency, the parents relinquish their rights to the child, and the child becomes available for adoption by prospective adoptive parents. In an independent adoption, the birth mother or parents usually make the initial contact with the adoptive parents. In both agency and independent adoptions, the department of Human Services or the agency conducts an investigation and files a report with the court. A court hearing is held after the child's birth. At the hearing, the court approves the adoptive family and terminates the parental rights of the biological parents. This ends all of the biological parents' rights and involvement with the child, although in an open adoption, future contact or information about the child may take place with the adoptive parents' permission. Six months after the court approval, the adoptive couple files a petition for adoption, which the court grants after further investigation by the Department of Human Services or the agency. For more information on placing a child for adoption, contact a qualified attorney or agency.